Spring Break
More Money, More Suspicion
Editorial Board
Issue date: 7/23/04 Section: Ed-Op
- Page 1 of 1
The University has announced a 4.5 percent tuition hike, the cessation of accepting Visa credit cards for payment and the institution of a 2.75 percent fee for the usage of other credit cards. It seems as if Drexel does not know how to stop collecting the already-exorbitant amount of money from the student body. With this tuition increase and credit card fee, not to mention a recent $6.6 million appropriation from the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, it's reasonable to ask just what Drexel has done to offset further increases. The Office of Institutional Advancement needs to express their goals and projects publicly and conspicuously to the student body. The administration needs to explain openly how they try to stop their expenditures from consistently falling on the students alone.
Full disclosure to the student body would be a smart move in getting the students to trust the administration. We understand that there are natural expansion projects undertaken by the University, and we understand that inflation does cause periodic tuition increases. Given the track record of past increases, suspicion is arising amongst those enrolled that the University is spending more money than a responsible organization should. We see the construction of new buildings underway each year, parks being built and one of the highest paid university president's in the region taking a raise. Where are they getting this money? Is it purely endowments, or are they counting on pushing the costs onto those who attend this institution? This is an important question for both the students to consider and the University to answer fully.
Ali Houshmand, interim provost, called the tuition rate increases "modest," but the situation is anything but that. While other universities may have increased their tuition by a nominal amount, they also charge their students thousands less in tuition per year. If you compare the percentage the University increased our rates with other rate increases, ours is most likely "modest" - but the overall amount of money we pay is far from modest.
Houshmand further discussed the tuition and addressed the increasing rates. He stated if Drexel were to take part in activities that would make students want to leave it would be like "shooting (themselves) in the foot." If increases such as this continue, then students will start to find cheaper alternatives, and it will be a gunshot wound to the head for the University.
Full disclosure to the student body would be a smart move in getting the students to trust the administration. We understand that there are natural expansion projects undertaken by the University, and we understand that inflation does cause periodic tuition increases. Given the track record of past increases, suspicion is arising amongst those enrolled that the University is spending more money than a responsible organization should. We see the construction of new buildings underway each year, parks being built and one of the highest paid university president's in the region taking a raise. Where are they getting this money? Is it purely endowments, or are they counting on pushing the costs onto those who attend this institution? This is an important question for both the students to consider and the University to answer fully.
Ali Houshmand, interim provost, called the tuition rate increases "modest," but the situation is anything but that. While other universities may have increased their tuition by a nominal amount, they also charge their students thousands less in tuition per year. If you compare the percentage the University increased our rates with other rate increases, ours is most likely "modest" - but the overall amount of money we pay is far from modest.
Houshmand further discussed the tuition and addressed the increasing rates. He stated if Drexel were to take part in activities that would make students want to leave it would be like "shooting (themselves) in the foot." If increases such as this continue, then students will start to find cheaper alternatives, and it will be a gunshot wound to the head for the University.
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